Gnolls
Gnolls are carnivorous humanoids resembling anthropomorphic hyenas. They are tall, standing around seven and a half feet tall, with females being larger and broader on average. Gnolls typically are very lean despite their wide frame, their musculature is dense and strong. Gnolls have brown, black, green, or yellow skin covered from head to toe in spotted fur that is generally a light or dark brown or grey. Some gnolls also have manes which can vary wildly from one gnoll to the next, being red, blonde, black, or brown and at varying lengths. These manes stand on edge when they are emotionally distressed. Gnolls very rarely live to die of old age, but the average lifespan of a gnoll is low by humanoid standards, at about 45. All gnolls are known to enter frenzied states of rage and euphoria in combat- these rages are said to be uncontrollable and often deadly to any and all creatures nearby. Gnoll Culture There are two distinct Gnoll cultures that exist, one allied to Yeenoghu and one still practicing the rites of the long-gone Gorellik. There are of course some practices that both cultures still share: All Gnoll cultures practice and uphold the value of loyalty to family and the pack above all else. In neither society to gnolls believe in tilling soil or engaging in most forms of physical labor considered to be demeaning. All gnolls have affinity for hyenas, hyaenadons, and dire hyenas and keep them as companions. Those who have rejected the incursion of Yeenoghu on their society call themselves by the ancient name- Flind-folk. These gnolls are nomadic and live in small tribes. The elderly of the tribes keep watch over their constantly-moving caravans while the young hunt for food. For these gnolls they channel their rage and fury into securing food during the hunt, using their frenzy as a fine tool for the hunt. The Flind-folk are spiritual, warm, and fierce yet shun the idea of savagery for its own sake, practicing pacifism when possible. The Flind-folk follow a strange and fragmented religion that venerates Gorellik but by necessity is fortified and restructured according to the teachings of the primordials and greater fey spirits. The followers of Yeenoghu call themselves Fangs of the Beast and represent the majority of remaining tribes of gnolls existing today. The Fangs use their savage reputation for all it's worth, settling their own domains (usually the wreckage and remains of another culture's city or fortress) and populating their workforce to maintain their domain with slaves, whose minds are broken using the techniques of the prized gnoll slavers known as Tantekurash (spirit-breakers). Once the Tantekurash are finished many slaves would willingly die for their captors. One of the most common punishments the Fangs practice in their culture is forced cannibalism, which the slaves are often forced to be both witnesses and participants in. The highest rank among slaves to the gnolls are the Kryshantel (savage-souls) who willingly participate in the violence and bloodshed, having proven themselves as warriors equal to the gnolls and being allowed to live among them (mostly) freely. Fangs take as they please, supplementing their supplies and replenishing their stock of slaves by raiding settlements and ambushing travelers. This also served their religion, as the personal belief of most Fangs is that it is their personal duty to rid the world of the weak. The devotion of the Fangs to Yeenoghu is rewarded with powers they never had enjoyed before he took power, but requires constant sacrifices on their part as well as the occasional order to serve under the command of a non-gnoll warlock who had proven themselves to Yeenoghu. These warlocks over the years have introduced steadily more horrific rituals into the culture of the gnolls, the most horrifying of which being the Corruption of the Soul-Consumed in which female hyenas feast upon living victims and are then impregnated by evistros and barlguras, who swiftly give birth to horrific demon-possessed gnolls who become full adults in moments. The demonic influence has created the greater gnolls that they call Flinds (a bastardization of their original name as given by Gorellik). Gnolls who die in battle are devoured by their allies and resurrected by Yeenoghu as Witherlings. The brutal culture of the Fangs has also encouraged the further propagation and creation of half-gnolls. Category:Humanoids